In that price range you can get a great new guitar or even a used higher end model. What style of guitar do you play? Do you want one guitar, or would 2 be better suited for your purposes (esp if you're in a band and playing out, 1 guitar won't cut it).
ESP, Jackson, and Ibanez all have different neck sizes, looks, and feel to their guitars.
Off the top of my head I would say go with an ESP (not LTD) or an Ibanez Jem ...